Striped Marlin Expeditions - Magdalena Bay

Striped Marlin Expedition - 4 nights in Magdalena Bay

Striped Marlin are a magnificent apex predator that inhabit the waters off the coast of Baja California. Easily identified by their elongated bills (or noses) and brightly striped bodies, these fish are astounding swimmers built for speed and are mesmerizing to see in the open ocean.

The expedition will begin at the Dive Ninja Expeditions HQ in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. From here we will journey 5 hours north along the beautiful rocky mountains of the Sierra de la Laguna and through the cactus filled deserts of Baja California Sur to our base camp in a small fishing town on the shores of Bahia Magdalena. We’ll check into our hotel and have our first presentation of the trip followed by a delicious dinner at one of the local restaurants. The next 3 days we’ll be up early for a full day on the water searching for bait balls and striped marlin so we can get as much time as possible in the water with them. While out on the ocean we’ll also be looking for whales and the other incredible inhabitants of the waters here. We’ve seen humpbacks, grey whales, fin whales, makos, sailfish, tuna, and so much more.  On the last day we’ll head in a little early taking a detour through the local mangroves to visit the natural sand dunes for our expedition closing picnic on the dunes. The mangrove and dune eco systems here are vastly important to the local area. So much so, that they have recently been deemed a protected area by the Mexican government. We’ll spend one last night in this gorgeous area before heading back to Cabo after breakfast the next morning.

The days out on the water are full on. We head out with a local fishing captain who has made the change from commercial fishing to eco tourism. This ninja is amazing and shares a passion for the ocean unlike many we’ve met. We’ve even seen him jump in the water in his jeans to check out the action. Each trip will have  expert ninja guides working alongside the captain to keep everyone safe & informed while enjoying this wonder of nature. We’ll spend each of the ocean days out searching for different bait balls and getting in the bright blue waters with them to freedive, swim, and snorkel. The action is unreal and hard to really put to words. Seeing tons of these huge striped marlin herding the bait balls and working along side groups of sea lions to hunt together is awe inspiring. Make sure to keep your eyes peeled to the blue as we’ve seen all sorts of random pelagics come in to see what’s going on.

Price: $2150 (with 30% of profits donated to local conservation efforts to protect the striped marlin).

Includes: all in-water activities, citizen science research activities, presentations throughout the week, transfers from Dive Ninja HQ to the base camp and return transport to Cabo, 4 nights accommodation in a local hotel on a shared double occupancy basis, a light breakfast on in-water days, lunch, snacks, & soft drinks onboard the boat, dune picnic and park fees.

2021 Dates:
Oct 7-11, 2021

Oct 14-18, 2021

Oct 21-25, 2021

Oct 28-Nov 1, 2021

Nov 4-8, 2021

Nov 11-15, 2021

Nov 18-22, 2021

Nov 25-29, 2021